Bite of Betrayal

by Damon Kinney

  I pushed the button again. “He’s been injured. I need an ambulance here immediately! 723 Carnes Rd. There are two men injured and one dead.”

  “Are you safe?”

  “I think so, but hurry!” I pleaded.

  “I’m dispatching someone now. Do not leave the scene.”

  I ran back to the bedroom, where Adrian hadn’t moved and still seemed very dead. Rushing to Terrance’s side, I opened his shirt to assess his wounds. He’d been stabbed several times just under his ribcage and was bleeding badly. I rushed to the bathroom to grab a towel, and as I did, I saw my reflection in the mirror. I was naked from the waist up and my entire torso was covered in blood. It was spattered on my face and over my thighs. My white panties were mostly red as well.

  I rushed back to Terrance, stopping just long enough to throw on one of his T-shirts. Then I pressed the towel to his side to try to limit his bleeding.

  It seemed like it took forever for help to arrive, but I heard the sirens grow louder, then heard voices in the house.

  “Back here!” I shouted.

  Two cops entered the room, guns drawn and aimed right at me. “Stand up and back away, hands up,” one barked.

  I did as told, saying, “He’s injured badly.”

  They took one look at the carnage before them and shouted for the EMTs. One cop inspected Adrian’s lifeless body while the other kept his gun trained on me.

  There was a bustle in the hallway, then I saw Caleb rush in. “Sagan! Oh my God.” He immediately dropped to his knees next to Terrance.

  “You know her?” the cop demanded.

  “Yes. This is her fiancé, he’s renting the house. That other guy tried to kill the woman last night.”

  The cop lowered his gun and his face turned instantly sympathetic. “Are you hurt?”

  I shook my head and joined Caleb at Terrance’s side. A second EMT appeared at the door, and behind him I saw Michael, his eyes half closed as he rubbed his head.

  Caleb looked at his partner and said, “We have to get him to the hospital now.”

  Marcie came running into the emergency department waiting room. She saw me and made a beeline my way and we hugged tightly.

  “How is he?”

  “I’m still waiting for the doctor,” I told her.

  “Are you okay?” she said, noticing my appearance. I’d thrown on a pair of jeans and a coat, but I still had blood spatters on my face.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Is he dead? That Adrian guy?”

  I nodded. “Terrance killed him but was stabbed repeatedly.”

  Marcie took a tissue and wet it at the water cooler, then sat next to me and dabbed the blood off my face. When she finished, she sat squeezing my hand as we silently waited for any news.

  About twenty agonizing minutes passed before Caleb entered the room.

  “Sagan, Terrance’s condition is serious. Very serious. They called in a human surgeon who has years of experience with vampires, and he’s in surgery now. All we can do is wait.”

  “Can’t he just heal himself?” Marcie asked. “Like, go all sparkly and become whole again or something.”

  Caleb looked at her. “Twilight?”

  Marcie nodded, then started to cry. Caleb wrapped his arms around her, and she broke down in tears on his shoulder. I got the impression she was crying because I couldn’t.

  “It doesn’t work that way,” Caleb said softly. “We heal faster than humans, but there are limits. Before that process can begin, Terrance has to be conscious and able to focus. Don’t worry, the surgeon will get him there.”

  While we waited, the police showed up and took an extensive statement from me. Michael had already explained the entire situation to them, so they had no reason to suspect me of anything.

  Then it was back to waiting, and I spent a full hour memorizing every cheesy Halloween decoration in the room. What kind of hospital puts up Halloween decorations? And why? Through the door I saw that the sky was no longer inky black, but a shade of indigo. It would be dawn soon.

  Suddenly the doors opened, and a doctor approached us. “Sagan, this is Dr. Norton,” Caleb said.

  The doctor looked me in the eyes. “There was damage to several of your fiancé’s internal organs: his liver, spleen, pancreas, and one lung. One slash missed his heart by a centimeter. I’ve halted the bleeding and we’re administering transfusions to replace the blood he lost, but it’s in God’s hands now. He can begin to heal himself if he regains consciousness.”

  “If?” I asked, not believing my ears.

  “I’m sorry, but his condition is grave. The next couple of hours will be critical for him.”

  The doctor excused himself. “I’ll make sure they do everything possible,” Caleb said before following him.

  Stunned, I turned to my friend. “Marcie, I can’t live without Terrance. This baby needs his father.”

  Her brow furrowed and she said, “I feel so helpless. I wish there was something we could to. Anything.”

  Just as I heard her words, my eyes landed on one of the Halloween decorations.

  “Maybe there is,” I said, grabbing her hand as I headed for the door.

  “Is this the place?” I asked.

  Marcie scanned the front of the decrepit house. “I think so. It sure looks the part.”

  Knowing full well I might be waking the wrong person up at this ungodly hour, I walked up the sidewalk and ascended the creaky wooden steps. I paused at the front door, noting that the house was practically falling apart. When Marcie finally arrived, I held my breath and knocked.

  We waited, but there was no answer. “I don’t like this,” Marcie said. “Maybe we should go.”

  Instead I knocked again, louder, then even louder to be sure. After what felt liked eons, I heard sounds from within, growing louder. A voice was mumbling and did not seemed pleased.

  The door gradually swung open and an old woman stood before us with the meanest scowl I’ve ever seen.

  “Madame Ledoux?” I asked.

  Minutes later the three of us walked into the emergency department, Marcie and I each holding an elbow to help the old woman along.

  “Where is this vampire?” she asked impatiently.

  I got Marcie’s attention and pointed my chin toward the triage nurse. Marcie approached the desk.

  “Is there some place nearby that’s already open for breakfast?” she asked the nurse.

  While Marcie provided the distraction, I quietly led Madame Ledoux through the double doors into the back. Down the hall we went. I had no idea how to get to the operating room, but saw a sign that said Emergency Surgery and headed in that direction. A couple of employees stared as they passed us in the hall, but fortunately no one thought to stop us.

  We rounded a corner to see Caleb standing at a desk talking to another EMT. When he saw us approaching, his expression conveyed his befuddlement.

  “Where is he?” I asked. Caleb looked at me, then at my elderly companion, then back at me again. “Caleb! Where is Terrance?”

  He silently led us down the hall to the ICU ward and to Terrance’s room. Stopping at the door, he gawked at the old lady. Madame Ledoux stopped me as I started to walk in with her.

  “You stay here,” she said sharply. “The hormones in that pregnant body of yours would just make my job more difficult.”

  Caleb held the door open as she stepped into the room.

  “That’s Madame Ledoux the witch, right?” he asked once she was inside.

  I nodded, dumbfounded. “I never told her I was pregnant.”

  We waited there in the hallway for twenty minutes. I was on the verge of knocking to make sure everything was okay when Madame Ledoux reappeared in the doorway.

  “It’s done,” she said.

  I looked at Caleb, then back at her. “What’s done.”

  “The spell is done, dear. Isn’t that why you brought me here?”

  “Yes, but… is he okay?”

  The witch frowned
. “Not now, but he should be. He’ll sleep for about twelve hours.” She turned to Caleb. “His pulse won’t be detectable, so be sure the doctors know not to cart him off to the morgue.” When she faced me again, her face softened. “Go home, honey. There’s nothing more anyone can do at this point. Try to get some sleep. No offense, but you look awful.”

  After dropping off the witch and thanking her profusely, Marcie and went to the apartment to wait. I showered and changed clothes. We had coffee, then walked to the police station to learn the status of the rental house.

  The police chief said that Adrian’s body had been taken to the morgue. They would need to keep the house sealed off while they finished the crime scene investigation. It would take a few more hours, and he told me of a cleaning company that would deal with the bedroom. I was surprised to learn there are people who specialize in removing blood and guts from homes where murders had been committed. Less surprising was that they were not cheap.

  Marcie and I walked over and I arranged for the cleaning. I had to max my credit card to pay the fee and get them to do it immediately, but it would be worth it.

  There was no point in trying to sleep, not with Terrance’s life hanging in the balance. Marcie insisted she stay with me, starting with taking me for breakfast.

  Just two weeks ago, I had a terrible date that ended on a very good note when I met Terrance.

  Now I would spend a long day of waiting, my heart in my throat while I refused to contemplate a life without him.

  Terrance

  Floating in the darkness, I couldn’t feel my body and had no way of telling if I was alive or dead. I vividly remembered the knife fight with Adrian, and that I’d managed to save Sagan before I lost consciousness. The next thing I knew, I was floating in the blackness. With no points of reference, I was at a loss as to whether it was a small confined space or a vast one without limits.

  It was very peaceful. I felt nothing at all, and had no sense of time passing. The fight could have been minutes ago, or it could have been years. For all I knew, I was still lying on the floor of the rental house bedroom, bleeding out while Sagan helplessly watched the life ebb out of me.

  For some reason, I was absolutely unconcerned by any of this.

  Then I felt a presence, seeming to grow closer until it was near me.

  No, not just a single presence, multiple ones. There were three. Wait—four.

  I still saw or heard nothing and had no sense of being connected to my own body, but I knew I was not alone.

  Was this the afterlife? Could I have actually died at such a relatively young age, for vampires at least?

  I became aware of a dull pain, which focused my attention on the growing sensation that I was becoming connected to my body again. Bit by bit, I could feel my extremities coming back to me. Then suddenly my torso was on fire, a searing pain that yanked me back into a semi-conscious state.

  The pain rapidly became unbearable. I felt like groaning, but had no voice to use. The right side of my face was hurting, too, and my bicep, but those were nothing compared to the volcanic eruption taking place in my upper abdomen.

  Another jolt of pain opened my eyes wide, and this time I managed a low moan.

  “Terrance?”

  It was Sagan’s soft voice. A blurry figure arrived at my side and I felt her hand take mine.

  “Don’t try to talk,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You’re in the hospital.” Was she crying?

  I groaned, audibly this time, as another wave of agony coursed through my body.

  “Get the nurse,” I heard Sagan say. “He needs something for the pain.”

  “No!” The emphatic voice was male. “Pain meds will just halt the healing process. He needs to work his way through this.” I felt a hand on my forearm on the side opposite from Sagan. “Good to have you back with us, buddy. You gave us a serious scare.” He hesitated, then added, “Sagan is unharmed, and Adrian won’t be a problem anymore.”

  Caleb. The vampire EMT, my new friend. My brain flashed to the knife fight again. I tried to speak, but heard an unintelligible mumble emerge.

  ‘What, baby?” Sagan asked, lowering her face near mine. My vision was clearing and I saw that beauty once again, and I could smell her unique scent.

  I made another attempt, but that one wasn’t much better.

  Sagan squeezed my hand. “I don’t understand you. Try again.”

  I concentrated and put full effort into getting the single word out.

  “Michael…?”

  “Michael is fine,” Caleb said. “He had a nasty concussion but healed himself quickly. He’s waiting to hear from me about you.”

  I nodded and got another jolt of pain as a reward.

  “Speaking of healing, we should leave you to it. Now that you’re out of danger, you need some peace and quiet so you can focus your energy on repairing yourself.”

  I saw another figure moving toward the door. It was Marcie, smiling at me, her face etched with relief. If she was the third presence I felt, who was the fourth? There was nobody else in the room.

  “I’m staying with him,” Sagan said.

  Caleb shook his head. “Sagan, you really need to—"

  “I’m staying with him,” she declared forcefully.

  Caleb looked at me and I nodded, wincing through the pain. He grinned knowingly, then followed Marcie out of the room.

  Sagan released my hand just long enough to pull a chair to my bedside, then took it again. She looked into my eyes and tears began streaming down her cheeks. “Terrance Delacroix,” she said with a trembling voice, “if you ever scare me like that again...”

  She was unable to finish and broke down, sobbing. I looked up at her lovely face, knowing something that she didn’t.

  Sagan assumed that with Adrian dead, this was over. I knew that Magnus would be furious once he heard that I killed Adrian. No telling who he would send next, or how many.

  I squeezed Sagan’s hand, then closed my eyes to force the healing to begin. I don’t know what the doctors at this hospital did to get me to this point, but somehow I was still alive and needed to become whole again as quickly as possible.

  We couldn’t remain here in Diablo Falls.

  Terrance

  It hurt as I climbed out of bed, and the shower stung badly. I had pulled the stitches out myself as soon as the gashes began to close, but there were still spots where the hot water and soap got my attention.

  I gingerly toweled off, then walked back into my room and took a seat, wearing only a towel wrapped around my waist.

  Sagan spent the night at my bedside, but I had chased her away once the sun came up. I told her to call in sick and meet me back here for lunch with fresh clothes I could change into.

  The door opened and I saw her happy face. “You’re up.” Her eyes widened. “And naked!”

  She handed me the clothes and watched as I slipped them on. When I was zipping my jeans up, she ran her fingers along the scars on the side of my stomach.

  “This is amazing. How much longer?”

  “Another day should do it, but I’m far enough along to leave this place.”

  She helped me put on my shirt and button it. “What about this?” she asked, gently touching the spot where Adrian sliced open my face. A five-inch scar ran from my cheek to my jaw.

  “I kind of like that one. Maybe I’ll keep it.”

  Sagan smiled. “Sexy. Can you do that?”

  It was time to get serious. I slipped my arms behind her back and pulled her to me. “Do you trust me?”

  She planted a kiss on my lips. “As much as I love you.”

  “Good. Unfortunately, things are about to get difficult for us for a while.” I got a look of concern for a reply. “It doesn’t stop with Adrian. He was just the first assassin. There will be more.”

  The concern increased exponentially. I pulled back and placed my hand on her belly.

  “This is about our baby. Magnus and his Tiras Asinis followers will s
top at nothing to make sure our child is never born. Your life and the baby’s are in danger. We need to go in hiding until you give birth.”

  “Terrance, I can’t leave Diablo Falls. My family is here. My work is here.”

  I sighed. This was going to be difficult for her.

  “You don’t understand, Sagan. Your job is over; you will never teach there again, at least not for a long while. And your parents are also in danger. They could be exploited to get to you.”

  “What are you saying? We have to leave town?” She was agitated, and rightfully so.

  “We have to leave the country. All of us.”

  Sagan stared at me, trying her best to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

  “My parents won’t leave, Terrance. Everything they love is here.”

  Her protest landed on deaf ears. “They have no choice. If they stay here, they’ll be dead in a week.”

  Sagan’s mouth fell open.

  “Baby, I am so sorry. The moment my sperm found your egg, our fates took a path that can’t be reversed.”

  “But what will I tell them?” she asked, dazed.

  “I have homes in several countries that no vampires are aware of. They could have their pick.”

  She considered my words. “They have friends in Houston. That’s were they lived before I came along.”

  I nodded. “That would work. I’ll buy them the house of their dreams there. Your dad will have quit his job and can’t take another until this is over with, but they won’t have to worry about money.”

  Sagan took a seat on the chair. “I can’t believe this is happening. Where will we go?”

  “Costa Rica. There’s a phenomenon in a city there that’s almost the reverse of what you have in Diablo Falls. A reverse-vortex with no ley lines or other weird energies that attract supernaturals.”

  “What it’s called, this city?” My soulmate was not a happy camper.

  “Ala del Ángel.”

  “Angel Wing,” she said quickly. I arched an eyebrow, surprised. “High school Spanish, four years,” she explained.